Photo for the Day - May 10, 2011

* Photo for the Day *

- Atlantis Tribute -

This is a printable version [view link below] of Space Shuttle Atlantis' orbiter tribute, or OV-104, which hangs in Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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In the lower-left corner, it features Atlantis soaring above Earth and threaded through the design are the mission patches for each of Atlantis' flights.

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Atlantis' accomplishments include seven missions to the Russian space station Mir and several assembly, construction and resupply missions to the International Space Station. Atlantis also flew the last Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission on STS-125.

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In the tribute, the planet Venus represents the Magellan probe being deployed during STS-30, and Jupiter represents the Galileo probe being deployed during STS-34. The inset photos illustrate various aspects of shuttle processing as well as significant achievements, such as the glass cockpit and the first shuttle docking with Mir during STS-71.

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The inset photo in the upper-left corner shows a rainbow over Atlantis on Launch Pad 39A and shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy.

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Endeavour was the assigned vehicle had Atlantis' STS-125 mission needed rescue, and this was the last time both launch pads were occupied at the same time.

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The stars in the background represent the many people who have worked with Atlantis and their contributions to the vehicle's success.

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Five orbiter tributes are on display in the firing room, representing Atlantis, Challenger, Columbia, Endeavour and Discovery.

Graphic design credit: NASA/Amy Lombardo - NASA publication number: SP-2010-08-161-KSC

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AubreyJ.........

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